Spartacus: Gods of the Arena – Trailer
The House of Batiatus is on the rise, basking in the glow of its infamous champion Gannicus. Poised to overthrow his father and take control a young Batiatus will freely betray anyone to ensure his gladiators are in the highest demand. With his loyal and calculating wife Lucretia by his side, they will stop at nothing to deceive the masses in this audacious prequel to “Spartacus: Blood and Sand.”
Premieres Jan 21st 10pm e/p only on Starz.
Brewing Mead with Amon Amarth
In the following video, watch as mead connoisseurs Hegg, Söderberg and Lundström demonstrate how to make their favorite brew out of everyday items such as empty water jugs, honey, raisins, oranges, yeast and balloons.
I’ve always wanted to try mead.
And Amon Amarth ROCKS!
An Animated History of Poland
The compelling animation traces Poland’s history from feudal times to the present day. You will see the world wars, the partition of the country, Chopin, the rise and fall of Communism, Solidarnosc (solidarity) and much more. To capture the entire history of a nation in just eight minutes is an amazing achievement.
Seen in the Polish Pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Badass!!!
Atheist Billboard Defaced On N.C.’s Billy Graham Parkway
Unknown vandals unhappy about atheists’ billboard in Charlotte, N.C., spray-painted “Under God” on the ad, the city’s atheist association discovered Monday. The defaced message will remain in place until after July 4, the group reports, which is the soonest that workers can furnish a fresh billboard image.
The billboard reads, “One Nation Indivisible,” which is the phrase preceding the 1954 insertion of the words “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, reports the Charlotte Observer’s Tim Funk. The billboard was erected on Billy Graham Parkway last week. (Graham is, of course, the state’s famous evangelical preacher.)
Similar North Carolina ads have gone up in Asheville, Greensboro, Wilmington, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem as a Fourth of July project by the area’s atheist association. The group has filed a police report and will replace the billboard.
“It was done by one or two people off on their own who decided their only recourse was vandalism rather than having a conversation,” Charlotte Atheists & Agnostics spokesman William Warren said. “It does show how needed our message is. As atheists, we want to let people know we exist and that there’s a community here.” Warren told the Observer when the sign first went up that its location wasn’t intended as a rebuke to the Rev. Graham.
He said the group has added more than 50 members since the ad went up. Atheist ads are often a target for vandals. Three of 10 atheist billboards erected in Sacramento, Calif., were defaced in February, and a series of atheist bus ads was recently vandalized in Detroit.
According to a 2007 study by the Pew Research Center, about 6 percent of Americans are secular. Less than 2 percent of all Americans identify as atheist.
An act of Congress changed the language of the Pledge of Allegiance during the height of the Cold War. Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister and Christian socialist, composed the original pledge in 1892.
This country has issues and God seems to be right in the middle of them. Vandalizing the property of others sure isn’t very Christ like.
Red Dead Redemption – Life in the West Part II (Part 2)
This game is going to be epic! Apparently their is a open world multiplayer too. A trailer for that comes out soon. Cannot wait for May 18th!
Red Dead Redemption Gameplay Series: Life In The West
Part three in the Red Dead Redemption Gameplay Series of videos, Life In The West takes a deeper look at the struggle for survival on the frontier, from the everyday activities of life on the land such as breaking horses and herding cattle, to the use of stagecoaches and trains for fast travel. The video tours you through life in the rapidly expanding town of Blackwater in the North, to the forts across the frontier of New Austin, to the towns of a Mexico rocked by revolution in the border territories of Nuevo Paraiso. Watch and discover the people, places and activities that populate the vast and beautiful world of Red Dead Redemption.
This game is going to be so epic.
The Streets of San Francisco in 1905/06
In 1905, an unknown cameraman filmed a streetcar trip along San Francisco’s Market Street. The following year, the Great Earthquake struck, and he filmed the trip again. This is a five-minute silent film that edits together excerpts of his two films. Footage from the Prelinger Archives, edited by Matt Lake
Perhaps the more startling aspect of the video to a modern viewer is the realization that a century ago people walked, ran, drove, rode bicycles and horses wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted in the streets. The first electric traffic lights weren’t invented until a decade after these segments were filmed.
Words borrowed from Neatorama
Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood Final Theatrical Trailer
Follows Robin (Russell Crowe) from his early days in King Richard’s army to his return to Nottingham to his creation of a band of mercenaries who challenge the sheriff and eventually try to prevent civil war.
“Rise and rise again until lambs become lions.”
This trailer is so much better then the previous. I still think it looks worth watching. Ridley Scott is a master at making epic period movies. One thing always bothers me with Hollywood period films though, the characters are never dirty enough. People used to stink back then.
SS United States
March 2, 2010 – The SS United States Conservancy has recently learned that America’s national flagship, the SS United States, is in imminent danger of being bought by scrappers. This great vessel, which still holds the trans-Atlantic speed record, may soon be destroyed. Bids for purchase of the ship by scrappers are being collected by NCL this month.
…
The SS United States was a powerful Cold War weapon disguised as a luxury ocean liner. She sailed from New York to Europe and other destinations from 1952-1969, transporting four American presidents, countless foreign heads of state, A-list celebrities, military and business leaders, artists, and diplomats, not to mention ordinary citizens and many immigrants to America during her mishap-free 400 voyages.
…
The SS United States is the fastest, sleekest ocean liner ever built, a giant gem of midcentury design and engineering, and in the brief time it spent on the high seas before the great liners were finally supplanted by jet flight, it truly became what its admirers now call it: “America’s flagship.” In its glory days it seemed hard to believe it would ever end like this: Moored permanently in a berth on the Philadelphia side of the Delaware river, cold and empty. That’s where it’s been for a long 14 years while a succession of owners have tried to figure out what to do with it. There’s been talk of turning it into a casino, or a luxury dockside hotel; there’s been talk of refitting it and sending it back out on the seas. But the clock is running down, and now it looks like the end may be approaching: The current owners, Genting Hong Kong, have begun to seriously solicit bids from scrappers. The SS United States Conservancy has mounted a last-ditch effort to raise public awareness about the dire straits in which this beautiful ship now finds itself. Take a look at the trailer for “SS United States: Lady In Waiting,” a documentary produced by SSUSC board member Mark Perry, and if you’re moved to help, contact the Conservancy.
boingboing
I never knew this ship even existed.
Some of the Oldest Known Art – Graphic Design
Archaeologists have unearthed 270 pieces of engraved ostrich eggshell dated to around 60,000 years ago from a site called Diepkloof in South Africa’s Western Cape province. The fragments constitute what the researchers say is the “earliest evidence of a graphic tradition among prehistoric hunter-gatherer populations.” As such, the finds help to illuminate the emergence of symbolic representation—a hallmark of modern human behavior.
The Diepkloof artisans favored two patterns. The first motif, which occurs in the older levels at the site, is a hatched band that looks rather like a train track; the second motif, which decorates eggshell pieces from younger levels at the site, consists of a series of deeply engraved parallel lines. (The different colors of the fragments in the image above resulted accidentally from exposure to fire after the the engravings were made and the eggshell broke.) Because some of the fragments show evidence of punctured openings, the team posits that they are the remnants of containers. Recent Kalahari hunter-gatherers and other groups have been known to use the large, sturdy shells of ostrich eggs as flasks for storing water and other liquids…
Scientific American
Little by little, we keep moving back when we think humans became humanity.
Flying Saucers
It wasn’t until 1947, following an apparent mid-flight sighting by respected pilot Kenneth Arnold, that the American public were introduced to the term ‘Flying Saucer‘. Other sightings were reported almost instantly, and within weeks the whole world was awash with stories of contact from other planets. Five years later, following another intense bout of activity in the U.S., Winston Churchill sought the opinion of his advisers by way of the memo seen below. The response, which can also be read below, was quick and with good reason as in 1950 the MoD‘s Chief Scientific Adviser had secretly set-up the beautifully-named Flying Saucer Working Party – a committee dedicated to such matters – and an investigation had already taken place.
Many other fascinating UFO-related documents can now be seen at the National Archives.
Transcript
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR AIR
LORD CHERWELLWhat does all this stuff about flying saucers amount to? What can it mean? What is the truth? Let me have a report at your convenience.
W.S.C.
28.July 1952
Response
PRIME MINISTER
The various reports about unidentified flying objects, described by the Press as “flying saucers”, were the subject of a full Intelligence study in 1951. The conclusions reached (based upon William of Occam’s Razor) were that all the incidents reported could be explained by one or other of the following causes:-
(a) Known astronomical or meteorological phenomena
(b) Mistaken identification of conventional aircraft, balloons, birds, etc.
(c) Optical illusions and psychological delusions
(d) Deliberate hoaxes.2. The Americans, who carried out a similar investigation in 1948/9, reached a similar conclusion.
3. Nothing has happened since 1951 to make the Air Staff change their opinion, and, to judge from recent Press statements, the same is true in America.
4. I am sending a copy of this to Lord Cherwell.
9th August, 1952.
Wow. Cool.
Leters of Note
Blacksmith Scene
Blacksmith Scene also known as Blacksmith Scene #1 and Blacksmithing Scene is an 1893 American short black-and-white silent film directed by William K.L. Dickson, the Scottish-French inventor credited with the invention of the motion picture camera under the employ of Thomas Edison.
It is historically significant as the first Kinetoscope film shown in public exhibition on May 9, 1893 and is the earliest known example of “actors” performing a role in a film. In 1995, Blacksmith Scene was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. It is currently the oldest film included.
via Blacksmith Scene – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Old shit is awesome some times.
Real Injun Trailer
Reel Injun is Cree filmmaker Neil Diamonds entertaining and insightful look at the Hollywood Indian. This feature length documentary is a stunning portrayal of North American Natives through a century of cinema. Looks like a documentary worth watching.
Travelling through the heartland of America, Diamond looks at how the myth of the Injun has influenced the worlds understanding and misunderstanding of Natives.
With clips from hundreds of classic and recent films, and candid interviews with celebrated Native and non-Native directors, writers, actors and activists, including Clint Eastwood, Robbie Robertson, Sacheen Littlefeather, John Trudell and Russell Means, Reel Injun traces the evolution of cinemas depiction of Native people from the silent film era to today, only to find the future of Native cinema in the unlikeliest of places Canadas North.
When I think of all the films I have seen about American Indians, they are all truly from the “white mans” “conquerers” perspective, except for a couple. Kind of sad if you think about it.
Red Dead Redemption Weapons & Death Trailer
The next Xbox 360 game I plan on purchasing. Wild West + Rockstar Games = Serious PWNAGE!
Sad End for a Great Man
On January 4th, 1943, Slovenian-American author Louis Adamic wrote the following heartfelt letter to ex-President of the United States, Herbert Hoover. The letter concerned the alarming treatment and general well-being of Adamic’s friend, Nikola Tesla; an immeasurably important inventor whose impact on the modern world is still difficult to appreciate and who, despite his numerous groundbreaking scientific achievements, was at the time of writing severely in debt and in worryingly ill-health.
Hoover immediately forwarded the letter to the IEEE, but to no avail; just three days after it was written, Tesla passed away in the hotel room in which he had lived for the past ten years.
Transcript follows.
Transcript
LOUIS ADAMIC . MILFORD . NEW JERSEY
January 4, 1943
Dear Mr. Hoover:
Nikola Tesla, as you know, is a Serbian immigrant who came to America from Croatia some 60 years ago and became one of the world’s greatest inventors. He became also an American. In the early 1920s Lenin urged him to move to the Soviet Union, promising him every scientific facility, and personal security for life, but Tesla declined — he was an American and had got used to living in the United States, whose civilization he helped to create.
His contribution to the sum-total of American civilization is almost beyond calculation. Hundreds of billions of dollars of American wealth are ascribable to his inventions. They are at the very center of our current war effort. No man living has added more substantially to the potentialities of human life than Tesla.
Yet today, when he is past 90, he is worse than penniless. He is extremely frail, weighing less than 90 pounds. His health is poor, and he has grown somewhat bitter against the U.S.A. No doubt his current poverty is his own fault. However, I think that ordinary standards do not apply to Tesla. He was always the pure scientist, never interested in money, always impractical about material existence.
But the fact is that now he is up against it. He receives a small “pension” from the Yugoslav government-in-exile. I know that Tesla suffers greatly at having to accept this pension from the government of his native country, to which he had never contributed anything directly. He suffers especially because the money comes to him through the Yugoslav Ambassador in Washington, whom he dislikes personally. Tesla suffers, too, in fact to the point of bitterness, because he feels — with some justice — that everyone in America, including the beneficiaries of fortunes created by his inventions, has forgotten him. No one writes to him; no one comes to see him.
He lives in a meager room in the New Yorker Hotel, in New York. He owes about a year’s rent — the Yugoslav pension is not enough to keep him in scientific apparatus, etc., for he continues to work on his projects.
This letter is not an appeal for your personal financial help. Some way will be found of looking out for him — he will probably not outlive 1943. But he needs someone to take care of him personally without seeming to; someone who could also follow his current notes and experiments and preserve what may be of value in them. Perhaps one of the large electrical corporations which have benefitted so greatly through his inventions would be glad to pension him for the short balance of his life. And I am wondering if you know someone who might be approached.
A pension coming from such a source would relieve Tesla of the necessity of accepting more money from the Yugoslav government. It would do much to remove his bitter feeling of neglect. And it would be fitting, though small, recognition of the debt America owes this man who has done so much for his country.
If you would like more details, I can come to see you in New York at any time.
Sincerely,
Louis Adamic
The things you learn on the internet. This one almost brought tears to my eyes.
Letters of Note
Soviet Doctor Removed His Own Apendix
Leonid Rogozov – a hero-surgeon
In April, 29th, 1961 a doctor of the 6th Soviet Antarctic expedition Leonid Rogozov aged 27 felt pain in a right lower belly and fever. The next day brought only exasperation. Having no chance to call a plane and being the only doctor at the station “Novolazarevskayaâ€, at night, in April, 30th the surgeon made an appendix removal operation on himself using local anesthesia. He was assisted by an engineer and the station’s meteorologist.
In 1959 Leonid Rogozov graduated from the Institute and was immediately accepted to the surgery clinical residency. However, his studies at the residency were broken off for some time due to Leonid’s trip to Antarctica in September, 1960 as a doctor of the 6th Soviet Antarctic expedition to Novolazarevskaya station.
During this expedition there happened an event that made a 27-year old surgeon world-famous.
In the 4th month of the wintering, in April, 29th, 1961, Leonid showed disturbing symptoms: weakness, nausea, fever and pain in a right iliac region. The following day his temperature got even higher. Being the only doctor in the expedition consisting of 13 people, Leonid diagnosed himself: acute appendicitis. There were no planes at any of the nearest stations, besides, adverse weather conditions would not allow to fly to Novolazarevskaya anyway. In order to save the sick member of a polar expedition there was needed an urgent operation on site. And the only way out was to operate on himself.
…
The rest of the story at English Russia.
The Quill Letter
I’ve spoken before about the secretive communication methods used during the Revolutionary War – see The Masked Letter and Fire or Acid – and here’s another, decidedly lower-tech example: The Quill Letter. The idea was simple and effective: messages were delicately written on long, extremely thin strips of paper, then rolled up and inserted into the hollow quill of a flight feather. A spy would then deliver the message discreetly, fairly safe in the knowledge that if he was intercepted en route, such a small document could easily be swallowed. Below is one such letter, written by General William Howe to General John Burgoyne in 1777, in which Howe informs him of his plans to invade Pennsylvania.
TranscriptLieut. Gen. Burgoyne
New York, July 17th. 1777. Dear Sir, I have received yours of the 2.d ins.+ on the 15th, have since heard from the Rebel Army of your being in possession of Ticonderoga, which is a great Event carried without loss. I have rec.d your two letters viz.+ from &Quebec your last of the 14th May, & shall observe the contents. There is a report of a messenger of yours to me having been taken, & the letter discover.d in a double wooden canteen, you will know if it was of any consequence; nothing of it has transpired to us. I will observe you in writing to you, as you propose in your letters to me. Washington is waiting our motions here, & has detached Sullivan with about 2500 men, as I learn, to Albany.- My intention is for Pensilvania where I expect to meet Washington, but if he goes to the Northw.d contrary to my (…) and you can keep him at bay, be assured I shall soon be after him to relieve you. After your arrival at Albany, yr movements of the Enemy will guide yours; but my wishes are that the Enemy be drove out of this Province before any operation takes place in Conecticut. S.r Hen.y Clinton remains in the command here, & will act as occurrences may direct. Putnam is in the Highlands with about 4000 men.- Success be ever with you. Yours.
WHowe
This is such a cool site. I click on one letter and end up reading 5 or 6 before I force myself to stop.
Letters of Note
The People Speak Documentary
Democracy is not a spectator sport. Using dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries and speeches of everyday Americans, THE PEOPLE SPEAK gives voice to those who spoke up for social change throughout U.S. history, forging a nation from the bottom up with their insistence on equality and justice. Narrated by Howard Zinn and based on his best-selling books, A People’s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States, THE PEOPLE SPEAK illustrates the relevance of these passionate historical moments to our society today and reminds us never to take liberty for granted.
Forget what the politicians tell you and what your favorite news pundit tells you. This is what America is all about! This is America! The power of the people to effect change! I am watching this right now on The History Channel. Only been watching for 10 min or so and I am in awe. Funny how the past shows so much about the future and how much the people of the present can learn from the past. As well as how much the past generations can learn from future generations. I love history.
How Candy Canes Are Made, Mass Produced And History Of.
One of the most often seen symbols of Christmas is the candy cane. Not only are candy canes used as a sweet Christmastime treat but they are also used for decoration. How did this seasonal candy get its familiar shape, and when did it become part of Christmas tradition?
When the practice of using Christmas trees to celebrate Christmas became popular in Europe the people there began making decorations for their trees. Many of the decorations were food items including cookies and candy. The predecesor of our modern candy cane appeared at about this time in the seventeenth century. These were straight, white sticks of sugar candy.
Part of the Christmas celebration at the Cologne Cathedral were pagents of living creches. In about 1670 the choirmaster there had sticks of candy bent into the shape of a shepherd’s crook and passed them out to children who attended the ceremonies. This became a popular tradition, and eventually the practice of passing out the sugar canes at living creche ceremonies spread throughout Europe.
The use of candy canes on Christmas trees made its way to America by the 1800’s, however during this time they were still pure white. They are represented this way on Christmas cards made before 1900, and it is not until the early 20th century that they appear with their familiar red stripes.
Many people have given religious meaning to the shape and form of the candy cane. It is said that its shape is like the letter “J†in Jesus’ name. It is also in the shape of the shepherds’ crook, symbolic of how Jesus, like the “Good Shepherd†watches over his children like little lambs. It is a hard candy, solid like a “rockâ€, the foundation of the Church. The flavor of peppermint is similar to another member of the mint family, hyssop. In the Old Testament hyssop was used for purification and sacrifice, and this is said to symbolize the purity of Jesus and the sacrifice he made.
Some say the white of the candy cane represents the purity of Jesus and his virgin birth. The bold red stripe represents God’s love. The three fine stripes are said by some to represent the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Others say they represent the blood spilled at the beating Jesus received at the hands of the Roman soldiers.
From its plain early beginnings to its familiar shape and color of today, the candy cane is a symbol of Christmas and a reminder of the meaning of the holiday.
Holiday Cheer is GOOOOO!! And I have always wanted to visit Cologne Cathedral. I have an affinity for Gothic Architecture.
Reconsider Columbus Day
In many ways I agree with these people. Columbus Day is the most useless holiday we Americans have and the Indigenous People of America do deserve their own holiday. Explorers back in the day were like the astronauts of today. They voyaged places where no one had ever been, that were filled with myths, monster and a sudden fall to nowhere to your normal person. Yet they pushed on through storms, sickness and unfriendly native inhabitants. But they also killed, enslaved, corrupted and plundered the natives in the name of colonization, religion and greed. The holiday also gives incentive to teach children history though. I have reconsidered Columbus Day and I say get rid of it. Maybe you and the government should reconsider this holiday too.
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